Music

With a combined age of more than 3,000 years, they are not the most obvious rock ‘n’ rollers. Brought together for a TV documentary, they have attracted a cult following after recording a version of The Who’s My Generation and are destined for chart stardom.

The group, which is fronted by bingo devotee Alfie Carretta, 90, were handpicked by BBC documentary-maker Tim Samuels who was shooting a hard-hitting series on the isolation of the elderly in Britain.

As the programme evolved, Samuels decided as a finale to gather his elderly subjects to make a memorable musical statement about their situation.

The project snowballed. U2’s producer Mike Hedges and Band Aid video director Geoff Wonfor became involved, and recording time was secured at the famous Abbey Road recording studios.

“Forro is a jumpy, accordion-driven, polka-like style that emerged in the hills of northeastern Brazil, so there’s something appealingly incongruous about revamping the genre into a soundtrack for urban scenesters. The New York six-piece Forro in the Dark, led by singer/percussionist Mauro Refosco, leave the accordion out and opens the sound up a bit (it’s usually played by trios, not sextets). They write good songs, too, which helps. “Que Que Tu Fez” sounds like a wedding dance in progress; opener “Indios dos Norte” jumps up to get down like prime Balkan gypsy music. Guest vocal spots by David Byrne, Bebel Gilberto, and Miho Hatori make sense on an album with such world appeal, but they’re mere icing on the party cake.”